The Creation Records Story: My Magpie Eyes are Hungry for the Prize

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Andy Strickland formed the Caretaker Race, whose singles and sole album are acclaimed to this day, whilst Bill Black (aka Prince) formed The Wishing Stones, whose singles and sadly unreleased ahead-of-it's-time album were the foundation of the Heavenly label. Out of print for many years and regarded as one of the greatest music books ever written, My Magpie Eyes are Hungry for the Prize: The Creation Records Story is the definitive account of the iconic British record label, re- published for the label's 40th anniversary. Only last month, a video of a young boy being relentlessly swooped by a magpie – and filmed by his father – went viral.

When news of the closure of Creation Records broke on November 26 1999, one person at least must have been grateful. Founded by Alan McGee in 1983, Creation Records achieved notoriety as the home of Primal Scream, the Jesus and Mary Chain and other anti-Establishment acts. An exhaustive, incredible telling of the history of Creation Records (and through it, much of the British indie scene). The great thing about Cavanagh is his objectivity something missing from the awful Hewitt/McGee book put out at the same time. My Magpie Eyes Are Hungry for the Prize transcends the parochial concerns of most rock biographies, although it comes steeped in them too.I picked up the meal, which had fallen to the ground at this stage and started walking to my car, which wasn’t that far away. Cavanagh explores how those early punk experiments in DIY music production (early Postcard, but the author includes several other labels) ultimately fell victim to the punk ethic itself, and then (in 1983) the unholy alliance of Geoff Travis, Mike Alway and Warners' Rob Dickens. He threatened to beat up the concierge in his hotel when the plastic door-key to his room didn't work (until he realised he was on the wrong floor).

Cavanagh reveals internal politicking worthy of Millbank, painting the sober McGee as gentler but no less paranoid, an increasingly distant figure, ill-at-ease with the market-led impulses of the new quasi-corporate company, although perfectly happy to accept the accompanying financial benefits.I was part of a small community of button lovers and collectors, and we all craved sparkly, rainbow additions - Emma to the rescue! Fast forward to now and my other half picked me up a second hand copy and it’s drawn me in all over again, with the added bonus I can now jump onto Spotify and listen much more easily to the songs and band mentioned as I’m reading. The reputation of the humble magpie, which won Guardian Australia’s 2017 bird of the year poll, could at best be described as divisive. Photograph: Supplied by James Glindemann View image in fullscreen James Glindemann, 68, of Sale, recovers after being swooped by a magpie while eating a Chinese takeaway meal in the Victorian town on Tuesday. Last year a Sydney council was forced to defend its decision to shoot a swooping magpie, which it said was “not taken lightly”.

They were highly influenced by bands like the Byrds, Television, The Television Personalities, and the Swell Maps.

Faber Members get access to live and online author events and receive regular e-newsletters with book previews, promotional offers, articles and quizzes. I dont care about the end of Creation when McGee is taking drugs (I just couldn't ever sympathise with him, he seems so unlikeable) and selling out to Sony.